Effects of Vitamin C on Collagen Production in Gingival Fibroblasts and Clinical Effects of Dentifrice Containing Vitamin C

Objectives: In periodontal diseases, collagen is destroyed by local inflammatory reactions. On the other hand, vitamin C is known to increase the collagen production of fibroblasts and to reduce bleeding tendency by strengthening capillaries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C on collagen production in gingival fibroblasts and to evaluate the clinical effects of dentifrice containing vitamin C. Methods: Fibroblasts collected from the human gingiva were subcultured, and after confluence, 2, 5 or 10 mM of sodium ascorbate was added three times a day for 13 days. Collagen deposited by the cells was semi-quantified from CBB staining intensity of SDS PAGE bans. Four dentifrices were prepared by Taisho Parmaceutical Corporation: a control dentifrice(D-1); a dentifrice adding 1.0% sodium ascorbate to D-1(D-2); a dentifrice containing 0.1% dl-a -tocopheryl acetate, 0.05% cetylpyridimium chloride and 0.05% b -glycyrrhetinic acid (D-3); a dentifrice adding 1.0% sodium ascorbate to D-3(D-4). A dentifrice was randomly assigned to 53 test subjects with periodontitis. They were asked to brush their teeth twice daily. At baseline, 2-and 4-week evaluations, clinical parameters were measured. Results: Gingival fibroblasts treated with 2, 5 or 10 mM of sodium ascorbate produced 2.6, 2.5 and 3.5 times more collagen. Of the four dentifrice, D-4 was most effective, and there were statistically significant differences in mean gingival index (p<0.01), plaque index (p<0.01) and number of bleedings (p<0.01) between baseline and 4 week-evaluation. Conclusion: Gingival fibroblasts were shown to produce more collagen when coming into contact intermittently with sodium ascorbate. The result suggests that sodium ascorbate in dentifrice acts on gingival fibroblasts and effective in treating periodontitis.